Are you Living with Radon?

In January of this year, the Surgeon General of the United States issued a Health Advisory warning Americans about the health risk from exposure to radon in indoor air. "Indoor radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer in the United States and breathing it over prolonged periods can present a significant health risk to families all over the county," Dr. Carmona said. "It's important to know that this threat is completely preventable. Radon can be detected with a simple test and fixed through well-established venting techniques.

Radon is a radioactive gas that comes from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil and rock and gets into the air you breathe. It moves through the ground and into your home through cracks and other holes in the foundation where it can accumulate to unsafe levels. Because it is odorless, colorless, and tasteless, testing is the only way to know if you and your family are at risk from radon. Americans are urged to test their homes to find out how much radon they might be breathing and to remedy any problem as soon as possible.

If you are a homeowner, you can purchase inexpensive do-it-yourself radon test kits at home improvement stores and have the sample sent to a lab or hire a certified radon testing company to conduct the test. If you are buying a home, be sure to consult with your RealtorŪ in order to select a home inspector certified in radon testing.

The EPA recommends that houses with a radon level of four picocuries or higher be properly vented to prevent accumulation of radon gas indoors. If your home or a home you are interested in purchasing is found to have unsafe levels of radon, a radon mitigation system can be easily installed by a Radon Remediation company at a reasonable cost. The most common type of system uses an arrangement of plastic pipes and a fan to vent the radon gas to the outside air. To learn more about how to receive a discounted radon home test kit, or for more information about radon visit http://www.epa.gov/radon/ or call 1-800-SOS-Radon.

• A toll-free DEP number (800)23RADON with technical personnel to answer questions about any aspect of radon or radon certification.
• PA DEP Radon Website: www.state.pa.us (Keyword"DEP Radon")
• Radon Information Packets. These packets include:
• Radon Services Directory (lists all certified radon testers, mitigators, and laboratories)
• EPA's publication, A Citizen's Guide to Radon
• Pennsylvania's Home Buyer's and Seller's Guide to Radon
• Pennsylvania's Consumer's Guide To Radon Reduction
• information sheet on DEP's Radon Assistance Program
• Fact sheet on, "Do It Yourself Radon Detection Devices".

REALTORS^® are the committed experts in their field. Look for the "R" logo when you need to entrust someone with your most valuable financial investment.

Information furnished by the Montgomery County Association of RealtorsŪ and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection.